Daniel Philpott Appointed to Direct Notre Dame Center for Civil and Human Rights

Daniel Philpott, professor of political science and peace studies, has been appointed director of the University of Notre Dame’s Center for Civil and Human Rights (CCHR), effective Jan. 1.

“Professor Philpott brings an ambitious vision for building the CCHR into a leading center for impactful research to his new role,” said J. Nicholas Entrikin, vice president and associate provost for internationalization. “He is a highly accomplished scholar who will support and enhance the center’s position as a beacon for civil and human rights, guided by the tenets of Catholic social teaching.”

A member of the Notre Dame faculty since 2001, Philpott is a scholar of international relations, political philosophy, and peace studies whose research concerns religion and reconciliation in politics. He is the author of numerous articles and books on these subjects including, most recently, Just and Unjust Peace: An Ethic of Political Reconciliation, which proposes concrete ethical guidelines to societies emerging from authoritarianism, civil war, and genocide.

In addition to directing a research program on religion and reconciliation for Notre Dame’s Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, Philpott travels widely in pursuit of his scholarly interests. Between 2000 and 2006, he regularly visited Kashmir as an associate of the International Center for Religion and Diplomacy, and he regularly visits Uganda and the Great Lakes region of Africa to train political and religious leaders in reconciliation under the auspices of the Catholic Peacebuilding Network.

The Center for Civil and Human Rights, established 40 years ago by Notre Dame’s president emeritus Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C., is a leader in advanced teaching and research in international human rights law and the education of human rights lawyers from all parts of the world.